Mori's Back
by Ryume Kazemizu
Summary: The spoiled brat, Mori, from the babysitting misison with Ryume and Sasuke is back. But now he's taller, mature, polite, and in love with Ryume. Taking a break from his training, he visits Ryume and meets her friends...And causes a problem...?
1. Chapter 1 Just a Crush?

"All right my boy, you've done enough for now. You're free for the day."

"Thank you father." The boy bowed to his father and walked out of the room. When outside, he walked quickly across his large garden and through a path covered in flowers and colorful berries. It was a long walk through his home to get to the forest. His family was a rich and powerful group and they owned their own land with a large division of homes in one temple. Usually doing work around the temple and helping his father out, he was very busy. But whenever he had free time, he'd go train with his master of discipline and ninja training. He enjoyed training with him, always looking forward to his next lesson and studying hard. He was his pupil.

The boy stopped to catch his breath and flicked his blonde wavy hair out of his face. A long layer of a sideway-cut bang covered part of his right eye and behind his head was a natural flow of more blonde hair.

"You're here early." A gentle voice sounded from a tree.

The boy looked up and bowed. "Yes Shishou. Father let me out early today. I've done all my tasks quickly and efficiently and-" He was cut off when his master's hand went up.

He smiled down at his private student and jumped down neatly from the branch he was sitting on. "There is no need to act formal today."

"Sir?" The boy asked, confused. He straightened himself and followed his master to a river running through the temple. Sitting down next to his master, he listened quietly.

The man was silence for a moment, as if in thought. It wasn't until five full minutes later did he speak, "You are aware… ever since I first met you, you had potential. You're father and I both knew." The boy nodded and then the man took out a pipe and lit it. "You've improved dramatically. I've never seen anything like it, actually." He looked down at his student whose head was down, in thought. "But it's in a very good way. When I first met you-"-he chuckled slightly-"you were by far the most stubborn, impolite, horrible child I have ever met. Never could trust you with anything." He smiled to himself and looked at the boy through the reflection in the running river. "And now I can trust you with my life." The boy looked up at him.

"Thank you master."

"No need to thank me. I simply told you what you were capable of and how to get there. It was your determination to go for that goal with everything you had. For that I am proud to call you my student." The man put his pipe away and stood up. "I am also proud to say that you deserve a vacation."

This caught the boy's attention. "W-what? But Shishou, don't I need more training?"

"I've done my part for now with your mind. I'll be back for your next step of training."

"So you're leaving?"

"Yes." The man said. "Now, tell me. What is it you would like to do? It may be anything you'd like for you are the son of the rich and powerful temple leader." He bowed slightly and smiled.

The boy thought for a second but his answer was clear. He was about to answer when he was interrupted.

"I'll set up a group of guards to go with you to your destination." He stood up straight and turned around, back to the boy.

"You know where I want to go." The boy smiled.

His master looked back and saw the rare smile he never wore. He smiled himself and nodded, "Yes, in fact I do. You want to see that girl again, don't you?"

The boy looked away and flushed.

The man laughed and put a hand on his shoulder, "No need to be embarrassed, it's gonna happen! I wish you luck…

"Mori…"

"Ahh, I knew it! You wanted to see that lovely girl again didn't you? Oh, my son is growing into a man. I'm so proud! I must make preparations." The temple leader bustled around calling on guards, making sure his son's bags were packed, and treating Mori like a child.

It was all true too. The young, immature and spoiled child Mori had turned into a handsome, mature and very polite and responsible young man. He'd gotten extremely taller and his hair was no longer messy. Instead it was neatly combed in the back and parted to the side covering part of his right eye. His clothes were always ironed and organized and he never argued with anyone. Always attending parties or meetings with his father, he took charge of many things. Formal, like his family -even his voice. His mother said it sounded like bells in the soft of the wind. Calm and moving. His voice astounded the ladies around the temple, although he paid no mind to them. He was interested in only one girl. And that girl lived in the Leaf Village. In other words, he wanted to see her badly and prove that he's changed.

Walking to his room by himself to get ready to leave, he stopped in front of his door and stared at a particular spot. The spot where he had hurt the girl…

_Ryume…_

That name that brings joy to his ears. But not when he's standing at the spot where she had gotten hit on the head with a bucket full of water trying to save a child he had sent to run on the roof. There was also another problem.

Sasuke.

_Is he in love with her now…?_

He'd always defend Ryume and hated Mori. They hated each other but Mori wanted another chance. He wanted to prove himself and start over with Ryume.

But how?

Mori closed his eyes, his happiness gone of seeing Ryume, and walked into his room where his pet was sleeping. It was a white ferret with black paws, ears and striped tail. His eyes were green, like Ryume's. That was the reason Mori wanted him. He found him in the forest and took him in because he was injured. The ferret loved him and was always near him.

Mori packed and left to go out to the gates with his ferret, Shimamaru. Shima for short.

Mori stood and waited patiently for his father to finish his lecture to him and his guards. There were always rules when going out of the temple. Of course, Mori would always follow them, but his father shouldn't have to repeat everything. Eventually, he finished and sent Mori off with his four guards surrounding him. He took Shimamaru out of his bag and let her run around for a bit.

_This is it. _Mori thought to himself, _I'm finally going to apologize and start over._

_Ryume…_


	2. Chapter 2 Introducing and Feelings

"A 'C' ranked mission?" Ryume Kazemizu asked, a bit surprised, "Last time you assigned me a mission, you wanted to avoid me going to the hospital, why stop not?"

Tsunade who was sitting at her desk twined her finger and rested her chin on them. "Oh I haven't given up on that one yet. This mission doesn't involve… too much fighting. Not physically, at least." She smiled, almost an evil grin.

Ryume raised an eyebrow at her and looked down at her guardian, Kasaigaru. Sure he was a wolf that was probably over twice the times the size of a normal one, but he was all she had left. Her mother being from the Kazemizu Clan married an Uchiha, making Ryume a half Uchiha. After the attack of Itachi, she found Kasaigaru then was taken in by Temari from the Sand. She was taught how to wield a fan and is now her personal weapon. Right now she's trying to obtain her ability to control water. A Kazemizu trait.

Kasaigaru, meanwhile, is the last of his kind. It's said that a rare pup of the liter would in his future have his or her guardian and share a bond with them. Another special thing about Kasaigaru was that he could turn into a human. A very attractive one at that too… And even though he had a lot of good things in him, there were also a few small problems. Kasaigaru is a very important figure in the Leaf Village and always has to attend meetings with Tsunade and do important and dangerous missions. So, in short, he never spent time with Ryume and usually had to depend on her friends to keep her happy and give her company. He sometimes had to yell at them and things got complicated, but eventually things turned out okay.

"So you gonna tell me what this mission is?" Ryume asked.

Tsunade nodded, "Yes. You see we have a rich and powerful man's son coming to visit Konoha and he would like an escort. Says he wants to see someone he knows here." Her smile now turned into a grin. Ryume was expecting this. "So I thought, 'Well, Ryume knows most of the people in Konoha, why not let her escort him and find the person he's looking for?' right?"

"Um, sure." Ryume said, becoming suspicious.

Kasaigaru sighed and shook his head, "Oh Tsunade-Sama…" He received confused looks from everyone but Tsunade. He knew what was going on and he wasn't going to tell Ryume. She knew well enough to even ask. "Anyways, Ryume you've got your mission. What about mine?"

"You too?" Ryume said.

Kasaigaru looked up at her, "Unfortunately. But I've already met this 'important figure' so I know you'll be fine."

"You've met him? How's he or she like? Can you tell me? Anything?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "Nope. It's a secret. He _is_ an important person anyway."

Ryume sighed and hung her head. "Great. Watch him be old or something."

Tsunade and Kasaigaru suddenly burst out laughing. They were enjoying this too much. "Moving on," Tsunade said, "Ryume, meet your client at the gates and make him happy while he stays."

"So it's a male…" Ryume said, trying to gather information. "Wait! Do I have to watch over him the whole time?"

"Not if he says so. It's all his choice."

Ryume nodded and dismissed herself from the room. She walked outside and took in the bright sunlight. It was a beautiful day. Hopefully it wouldn't become ruined. Shaking the thought away, Ryume thought to the positive side of things and walked to the gates. When she got there and said good morning to Kotetsu and Izumo, she hadn't come up with enough positive things. She sighed and leaned against the post of the gates and waited. Then she saw two figures walking in her direction. One coming from the east, the other fro the west.

Hikuro and Sasuke.

Uh oh.

Hikuro grinned and waved at Ryume. She didn't reply back or make any movement because Sasuke was watching her every move. To put things in the most simplest way possible, Hikuro and Sasuke both loved Ryume. But Ryume loved them both as best friends. Each their own way of affection. Although they also had their way of putting things. Hikuro for example thought Ryume loved Sasuke more she did to him. That wasn't accurately true. She was _in_ love with Sasuke but also _loved_ them both as friends. It was all complicated.

And eventually, when the two came close enough, they stopped and glared at each other. They kept walking towards Ryume, not taking their eyes off of each other. Ryume sighed and hung her head.

"Great. Your presence already brought her mood down." Hikuro said.

"Are you sure it isn't your stench?" Sasuke sneered.

"Stop it." Ryume mumbled and closed her eyes, attempting to enjoy the sunlight as she raised her head again.

Hikuro and Sasuke each positioned themselves on each side of her, glaring again. But eventually, they stopped and stayed quiet. Ryume read their thoughts. "No, Hikuro. You don't smell. You smell good. And Sasuke, I love it when I'm with you."

They both let out a breath being held in and relaxed. Ryume smiled and let herself off the post, facing them.

"So what brings you here?" Hikuro asked, recovered faster.

"Tsunade gave me another mission. 'Escort an important figure to a person he wants to see from Konoha'."

"Sounds boring." Hikuro said.

Ryume sighed, "Yeah, I guess." She shrugged, "But it can't be helped." Then she paused and looked away, "And Kasaigaru has a mission too."

"What? _Another_ one?" Hikuro said and got up from the post also.

"Yeah, he's been pretty busy lately."

When _isn't_ that guy busy?" Hikuro muttered then looked down at Ryume making her look back up at him. Hikuro was very tall for his age and very lean and muscular. Not too muscular though. Just right. His hair was a very dark brown and his bangs covered the top of his eyes, making him look dark and mysterious. Just the opposite of what he really was. Hikuro was always playful and full of energy. Always grinning Ryume's favorite grin and hugging her at the most random times, he hasn't failed to make her smile yet.

Ryume made a face of 'oh well' and shrugged. Hikuro rolled his eyes and put an arm around her. Sasuke immediately looked up and glared at him. Getting off the post, he walked to Ryume grabbed her hand, tugged, and made her fly into him. She blushed red and stood still as Hikuro gritted his teeth. "Hey! What gave you the right to do that?"

"Oh no." Ryume mumbled and hung her head.

"The right to protect her from you." Sasuke said calmly, his arm now around Ryume.

"What have I done!?"

"I don't like you."

"What the hell!? You bastard!"

"Yo! Idiots!" Kotetsu called from the outdoor desk.

Everyone looked up and gave him confused looks. Ryume turned to the outside of the gates and saw him. The person she'd least expect to see. The person she hadn't seen in months. The person who she had almost hated. The person she was afraid of asking to if he was her client.

The blonde moved in vision from his guards and he stared at Ryume. She stared back and felt Sasuke arm drop. A low growl sounded from his throat.

"Mori…" Ryume said.

"Ryume…" Mori said.

"Uhh who's this guy? Wait! Mori?! You mean the guy that you and Sasuke had to baby-sit that one time? " He paused and cracked his knuckles. "The guy that hurt Ryume?"

Mori's eyes went sober and he looked away.

Ryume was now gaping. Sasuke raised his eyebrow at him and shook her slightly, "Ryume?"

Ryume exploded, "Mori! Is that you? Ohmigod you've grown so much and you look so much different! What are you doing here?"

Mori was taken back and it took a minute for him to answer. Once he found it, he flushed and looked away. "I came to see you…" He said softly. His voice gentle.

Ryume blinked. "Oh…"

"Is 'Oh' all you can say?" Sasuke growled, bringing her closer to him. Mori saw his action and made an expression unknown. "You should be suspicious of why he's here."

Mori stepped forward, "Please, Ryume, I've changed. I just wanted to…start over with you."

"You _have_ changed!" Ryume said but then went confused. "But…start over?

He nodded, "Yes. I was a child last time I met you. Immature. Irresponsible. Impolite. Ridiculous."

"I agree." Sasuke said in a low voice, tightening his grip on Ryume.

Ryume wriggled free of his grasp and faced him, "Sasuke, at least hear him out. He _has_ changed."

"I don't care." Sasuke said. "He still hurt you and he won't be forgiven for that."

Mori's face fell and his blue eyes looked away, hurt. "Ryume," He almost whispered. "I want to make it up to you. I don't blame Sasuke for his anger. I deserve it. But all I'm asking for is a second chance."

"No." Sasuke said.

"Yes," Ryume said, glancing at Sasuke. She saw him snarl.

"Oh thank you, Ryume." Mori breathed and put a hand to his chest. Then he smiled at her.

Ryume's eyes widen slightly and she blinked a couple times as she turned light pink. He was very handsome now she looked at him.

"So…" Hikuro interrupted, "This is the guy you two had to baby-sit and that Ryume got angry at?"

"Yeah, if you put it that way." Ryume said and did an anime sweat drop.

"And you're cool with that, Ryume? That you have to escort him around and everything?" She shook her head and he thought for a second. Then he shrugged and walked up to Mori, grabbed his hand and shook it, "Hey! Sup? Nice to meet ya. I'm Ryume's best friend and boyfriend!"

Ryume exploded red, "WHAT?! B–BOYFRIEND? NO WAY HIKURO!"

Hikuro grinned and made a peace sign in Ryume's direction. "What? Just giving him a heads up is all."

Mori was confused. "But, isn't Sasuke Ryume's boyfriend…?"

Hikuro got an anime cramp and he crossed his arms, "Ha! As _if!_ I'm _much_ better for Ryume-Chan!" On his last words, he grinned at Ryume and winked. She looked away, blushing.

Sasuke meanwhile, was pissed off. He snarled once more before walking away. Ryume watched him go sadly and she knew she had to make it up to him…somehow.

"So, Mori, you mind if I tag along with you and Ryume?" Hikuro asked enthusiastically. There hadn't been any effect on what had happened in the past to him.

Mori was still a bit taken back and was about to lose it. "Um, sure, I guess." Then he smiled, "Yes, that'll be great."

Ryume smiled also, glad that they were getting along and stood next to them, her in the middle and Mori's guards behind them. Hikuro wanted to try one thing. "Hey Mori, who did you want to see from Konoha?" Mori blushed and looked away. Hikuro grinned and went to his free side, elbowing him, "Huh? Huh? Who?"

Mori looked in a different direction, which was Ryume's and met her eyes. He'd gotten taller and was a few inches above her eye level. Her green eyes sparkled as he stared. They both turned pink and Hikuro continued to ask Mori his question. "Um…" Mori started, embarrassed. "I… For a long time now, I've wanted to see Ryume. I've been… thinking about her for a while and my master who's been training me gave me a vacation because he's going away. He knows about Ryume so he arranged me a trip here." He looked back at Ryume and smiled softly.

She smiled back happily and laughed, "You must have a really nice master."

"Oh, yes, he's a very good man."

"Hey Hikuro, didn't you have a master too?"

Hikuro stayed quiet for a while but then put on a fake smile, "Yep! He was pretty cool too."

_Hikuro hasn't told me much about his master… I wonder if something happened…?_ Ryume shook off the thought and asked Mori if he wanted something to eat.

"If you don't mind." He said. Ryume shook her head and lead them to the restaurant she worked at. It had indoor and outdoor portions to it and was usually busy. The manager was always nice to Ryume and tried not to overwork her, no matter how much Ryume begged. Everyone got a crack out of that. And every other day, either Hikuro or Sasuke, and sometimes even other people like Neji, Kasaigaru, Rynn, or Risu, would wait for her to be done so they could talk. Hikuro and Sasuke usually walked her home and sometimes stayed…

The group ate while the guards stood and did their job. They laughed and had happy conversations. Glad that Hikuro was there to keep the spirit up. And throughout the day, they walked around the village, met a few more people, talked more, had ice cream, and eventually stopped, as it got dark.

"I had such a good time, thank you, to both of you." Mori said happily. "I've never had so much fun before!"

"We'll do it again tomorrow and I'll introduce you to everyone!" Ryume said, "But for now, you should get some rest. Where do you want to meet tomorrow?"

"Your majesty." Hikuro added.

"Oh please, none of that." Mori said and raised his palms.

"How about Ryume's place?" Hikuro suggested.

Ryume was about to reject when Mori interrupted, "That'd be good. I'd like to see where you live, Ryume. Do you mind?"

"Uhh…I guess it wouldn't hurt." She said.

"Don't worry," Hikuro said and flung an arm around her, "I'll make sure he doesn't pull something on you."

They laughed and said their good-byes. Mori watched as Hikuro walked Ryume to the third floor of the apartment and to her room. He started to walk to his own apartment when a light turned on on the third floor of Ryume's apartment. Watching Ryume and Hikuro from her balcony window he went cold. Hikuro grabbed Ryume and kissed her. His face fell as he watched the two, happy and always laughing. Turning away, he walked back to his apartment.


	3. Chapter 3 Realization

The sound of a door knocking awakened Ryume. She lazily looked at her clock, which read, eight-thirty. She'd slept in. And Hikuro and Mori were supposed to meet at her house. Oh great. She got up, put a loose shirt over her pajamas and opened the door a few inches. Mori.

"Oh, oops, I'm so sorry! I guess I slept in and forgot about this morning…" Ryume said.

"That's fine. I was just wondering what you and Hikuro were doing… if he's here." Mori replied casually.

"He's not here yet. I just woke up." Mori apologized for waking Ryume up but she silenced him for the apology and said it was her fault anyway. Going back to her room, she changed into her regular clothes of a blue outfit, bandages on her right arm, her black gloves, cut-ff leggings and today she decided to wear her blue ninja sandals instead of her black boots. Taking her fan along and strapping it on her back, she went back out to the kitchen where Mori was looking at pictures she had everywhere of everyone.

"You seem to have lots of friends. The two blondes, Hikuro, Sasuke and your guardian show up a lot here. The most. Even a long brown haired male." Mori observed.

"Yeah, that one's Neji. He's a really good friend. Always there. And my guardian's name is Kasaigaru. The two blondes are Rynn and Risu. Rynn, with the longest hair and always having a grin. Risu, the girl you do _not_ want to mess with!" Ryume laughed to herself for a second, recalling a few times Risu had tried to attack or lost her temper on someone. She loved them. All of them. If you messed with them, you messed with her. End of story.

Mori smiled to himself and kept looking around at the pictures. Ryume grabbed a healthy cereal bar from her cabinet and wolfed it down. Then she sat down on the counter with a glass of water to wash it down. Mori stood next to her, looking at another picture of her and Hikuro and Sasuke. All in one picture, smiling (except Sasuke). What caught his attention though was that they each had an arm around her waist or shoulders. Will he ever get to be that close to her like them? Or will he just be another one of her side friends? If she had any that is.

Ryume pushed away from the counter on her high chair while Mori was turning around and they bumped into each other making each other squished. They both blushed slightly and Mori apologized nervously. Ryume smiled and said it was no big deal. But Mori didn't move. "Mori-" Ryume began but stopped and gasped as she was pushed against the wall. It wasn't hard. It was actually calm, gentle and full of emotion. Her face felt warmer than usual as she noticed the position they were in.

Mori's arms were around her waist loosely but bringing her close to him and his face was inches away from hers. She tried keeping a distance but the wall behind her forbid that from happening. Mori's hair covered his eyes and his lips were parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something. Ryume wasn't the only one turning hot in the face. Mori's breath was hot against her and he was tense.

"Ryume I-? Mori began but everything changed.

One; Mori was moving closer and closer to Ryume. Two; Ryume's heart was about to explode from beating so fast. And three; the door had slammed open and a grinning Hikuro was in the doorway. He started with a 'Hey, sup?' but stopped as he saw Ryume and Mori. He blinked a couple times. Mori's eyes were covered by his hair again but his mouth was to the floor, his face red. Ryume's face was red also, but not as much as Mori's tomato face. Ryume was about to make up an excuse when Hikuro walked over and put a hand on Mori's shoulder.

"Hey man you don't mind if I interrupt here, do you?" And he pushed him away, the cheerful smile still on his face. Mori flew across the room and fell on his bottom, still red and gaping. This was obviously the most embarrassing moment of his life. "So Ryume, you have breakfast yet?" Hikuro asked, still smiling but there was anger in his eyes.

"Umm, yeah." Ryume said, her face toning down to a soft pink. She glanced at Mori and saw that he'd gotten up, calmed down, and was dusting himself off. "Umm, you ready Mori?"

"Yes." He said, his head down, hair still covering his face.

"Great! Let's go"-then growled-"shall we?" Hikuro grabbed the top part of Ryume's arm and dragged her out of her apartment. Mori following silently, head down. Ryume glanced at Hikuro and saw his angry eyes. Once they got outside, he took in a deep breathe and looked back at Mori and Ryume. "All right, what was going on in there? When I said I was going to be there so he wouldn't pull something on you, I didn't mean it literally."

"Please don't blame Ryume." Mori said, getting the courage to speak up again. He bowed and apologized, "It was my fault. I take the blame."

Ryume interrupted Hikuro, "He bumped into me while he was looking at pictures."

Hikuro raised an eyebrow then rolled his eyes, snaking his arm around her shoulders, he turned around. "Whatever, let's just go."

Mori gulped and stopped as he looked at Ryume and Hikuro walk.

In the picture, Hikuro was the one with his arm around her shoulders.


	4. Chapter 4 A Good Time

Ryume, Mori and Hikuro finally arrived at the training grounds, where everyone was supposed to meet, and it was a relief for Ryume. The walk to get there wasn't pleasant. No one spoke or made any movement besides their legs moving to walk. Mori kept his distance and Hikuro didn't look at either Ryume or Mori. Fine by Ryume. If he wanted to make a big deal out of it, that was fine with her. He'd talk with him later.

Rynn was the first to spot them arrive, like a hawk keeping an eye out for them. She was sitting on the post with her hand covering the top of her eyes because of the sun. "There they are!" She announced. "RYUME-CHAAAAN!!" She ran towards them with her excellent running and speed and tackled Ryume, making them fly a couple feet until hitting the ground then skidding to a stop. Ryume's eyes were Xs when Rynn controlled herself. "Uhh, Ryume-Chan? Oops, I tackled you too hard again didn't I?" then she giggled and looked over at Hikuro who wasn't paying attention. His hands were on his hips and wasn't looking in there direction.

"Oy! Hikuro, aren't you gonna help your girlfriend up?" Rynn teased, but actually slightly confused at why he hadn't said anything. Usually he'd walk over and help her out and say a few words to Rynn then get into a fight. She missed it and didn't like the fact that her fun was ruined. In a good way.

Hikuro hesitated then replied back, "We broke up." Then added quickly, "For now."

Rynn let out a big "HUUUUH??" And made Ryume sit up, shaking her by the shoulders wildly, "You never told me you broke up with Hikuro! What happened?! Did you finally get over him? Are you with Sasuke now? Did you guys fight! Aww I wanted to see it! Tell me, tell me, tell me! Woman! _Wake up!_"

Ryume's eyes went big and she yelled back, "You were talking too fast, chill out! And what do you mean broke up with him?" When Rynn and Ryume yelled at each other, it was always in a silly way. If Ryume wanted to say something serious to Rynn, she'd know and control herself… at least she'd _try_ to.

"That's what he said. Don't look at me." Rynn said while jabbing a thumb over her shoulder pointing at Hikuro who's back was still to them. "What happened? He looks _piiiissed!_"

Ryume rolled her eyes and walked to Hikuro. "Hikuro, listen I told you the story. I'll talk to you later about it, okay?"

Hikuro was still looking away, "Why not now?" He said, his stubborn side showing.

"Because right now we need to have a good time and not worry about it."

"It'd be better if you told me right now."

"I don't think so."

"Then I guess I have no business here." Hikuro said and turned around, about to walk off.

Ryume sighed and groaned at the same time, "All right Atsukai! What else do you want?" She _knew_ he was up to something. Not only did he want the story later, but also interest.

The corners of Hikuro's lips lifted slightly into a small evil smile. Rynn raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and went to get everyone else from across the field. Hikuro turned to face Ryume then disappeared. He reappeared behind her and hugged her from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder. Ryume was used to this whenever Hikuro wanted something badly. "Tonight." Was all he said. Ryume rolled her eyes. She knew what _that_ meant!

"Jeez Hikuro, do you _ever_ let go of Ryume?" A voice came from behind them. Hikuro let go of Ryume and Mori joined them shyly to meet everyone else.

"So," Risu started, "Who's the guy you wanted us to meet?" Risu Yamanaka. Ryume's other blonde friend. Not a total blonde; a blonde haired girl who was great to have around. Being Ino's older sister, she kept her straightened out and always threatened anyone with her fist if messed with. She had a huge, bear-sized chipmunk named Taiyou who was her 'pet' or summoning during battles.

Ryume looked at Mori and motioned him forward. He only took a small step. "Everyone, this is Mori."

Silence.

Everyone all at once started to speak loudly, making Ryume and Mori jump.

"You mean the guy who hurt you?" "The little brat?" "That immature kid?" "The jerk-face who ordered you to be his girlfriend?" "The short guy??" "Snot-nose, huh?" "Why is he here?" "Why are you happy about bringing him here?"

While everyone threw their complaints and surprised comments, Ryume's eyes went slanted, annoyed at everybody's behavior. Hikuro had a hand on his hip, eyes triangular, not surprised this would happen. This was his reaction too. Meanwhile, Mori managed to look at everyone in the eye. That too courage. The long brown-haired boy who was supposedly Neji wasn't saying anything. His eyes were focused on Mori and Ryume. He was confused but wasn't showing it too much. Other than him, Ryume, and Hikuro, everyone was shouting out complaints. Even Ino. And instead of complaints, she was saying things Risu and Ryume would kill her for saying. But It was such a loud moment that no one was paying any attention.

Ryume sighed, reached in her kunai pocket, and threw a kunai in the air, a paper bomb attached to it. When it was high enough, it exploded and everyone stopped complaining. They stared at her waiting.

"All right guys, listen up. I was shocked too, but Mori's proved himself." Mori flinched and stared at Ryume. Ryume smiled, "Yep, you heard me! He said something about going through special training and he's improved in everything." She looked up at him and raised her eyebrows, "Even his height. But mostly his attitude and politeness!" She smiled and looked at everyone: Rynn, Risu, Itazura, Kinaga, Neji, TenTen, Kiba, Naruto, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Hinata, Sakura, and Lee. All her friends (except Ino) stared at her and scratched their heads, confused. "Trust me." She said.

It wasn't until a full five seconds later did everyone shrug and at the same time say, "Okay!"

Mori exhaled and smiled, laughing slightly. Everyone walked to him and started introducing themselves and shaking hands with him. Ryume stood back with Hikuro and watched everyone. It wasn't until she feel a presence behind her did she turn around and face Sasuke. "Oh, Sasuke, hey, good morning."

Sasuke didn't say anything as he watched everyone crowd around Mori. He made a "Tsch" sound and walked to the post Rynn was sitting on earlier. Putting his hands behind his head, he closed his eyes and waited for everyone to calm down.

Ryume bit the inside of her lip nervously, sneaking a glance at Hikuro. He was acting normal. A bit annoyed, but okay. That was good. Doing a mental sigh, Ryume gave Mori a thumbs up and he laughed. After a bit, everyone cleared and went to the spot where they were earlier (and where Sasuke was now) and did their stuff. Rynn and Itazura stayed with Ryume, Mori and Hikuro. Itazura nodded to Ryume and Hikuro in a way of saying hi and they nodded back.

Itazura Yugami. Being on Hikuro and Kinaga's squad, he was the quiet type and kept to himself, not usually showing too much emotion. But he wasn't another Sasuke. He was humorous in his own way and had a crush on Rynn Kuragari. The quiet one with a loud and hyper one. Strange to some people, but cute for Ryume. His black and red streaked hair covering some of his face like Hikuro's (except a bit more thicker) showed his quiet personality and casual clothes of a white, blue, and red outfit. Wielding a bow and arrow wherever he went, he was usually always alert and ready for anything.

Kinaga Kansei. The calm, yet raging one. His personality is nice, and polite. An average person. Unfortunately, when an action that takes a particular offense to him, he goes on a rampage and so far the only one that can stop him is Risu. And of course, the two have crushes on each other. Risu also had a small crush on Naruto, but Kinaga and Naruto didn't get along too well… That caused problems.

"So… You're a good guy now?" Rynn asked.

Mori chuckled slightly, "Yes."

"Ahh." Rynn said and nodded her head, feeling the awkward silence come upon them. "Uhh, let's go over there where there _isn't_ an awkward silence!" She said and ran to the rest of the group with Itazura trailing behind.

Ryume smiled and also followed, dragging Hikuro along by grabbing him by the hoodie. So he was walking backwards, yelling out complaints and shaking his fist in the air. Ryume laughed and let go of him when they got to the group. Almost immediately, Mori was with a group, talking with them. Making her way to Sasuke, Ryume sat down next to him and watched everyone socialize. "You're not going to join us?" she asked.

"No." He replied, his eyes closed, dozing against he pole with his hands still behind his head.

"Uhh, all right. If you say so…" Ryume said and stayed quiet for a bit, hugging her knees. "He really has changed, you know."

"What made you and Hikuro break up?" Sasuke said, dodging the other subject.

Ryume decided the best of it and went in his direction. "We didn't break up. We weren't together in the first place. It's just a joke."

"Even if it were a joke, what caused it?"

"Nothing."

"It couldn't be nothing to make someone as stubborn as Hikuro to get worked up about." Sasuke said smartly.

Ryume groaned and leaned against the other post, facing Sasuke, hand under chin, "How about I tell you later too?"

Sasuke's eyes opened and an evil smile almost exactly like Hikuro's came upon his face, "Why not now?" He asked, teasing her.

An anime cramp showed on her head and she glared at him. "Not funny Sasuke."

Sasuke chuckled and hugged Ryume, pulling her into him. She blushed and looked back at the group, distracting herself. Hearing him growl, she looked back and saw Sasuke glaring at Mori. Turning to Mori, he met her eyes then quickly looked away. Sasuke's face should disgust as he got up and offered a hand to Ryume. She took it and didn't need to do anything as Sasuke lifted her up with his one arm and held onto her hand. Walking to the group, he didn't let go of her hand, but he let her talk to everyone.

Rynn noticed their hands she grinned, "Aww! Ryume-Chan _is_ with Sasuke now! How kawaii!" She laughed and everyone looked at them. Ryume froze and tried to get her hand out of Sasuke grasp but had no luck. He was glued to her. She glared at him, pleading for help but all he did was smirk. She did a bit of anime tears.

Hikuro rolled his eyes, arms crossed. Then he mumbled, "And you say _I'm_ with her too much…"

Once again, the sneaky Rynn heard, "Oh no! Poor Hikuro-Kun's jealous!"

Hikuro's eyes went big and he yelled at Rynn, "I never said I was!"

"You never said you weren't either!" Rynn said and laughed again. "Oh I am sooo good!"

Hikuro growled and looked at Ryume, "Ryume! Control your so-called friend!"

Ryume glared at him, a lightening streak flashing behind her comically. Hikuro froze, noticing he said the wrong thing. With unwavering eyes, Ryume replied with a simple "No" and looked away stubbornly.

Hikuro's eyebrow twitched and he gritted his teeth in frustration as Rynn continued to crack more jokes about him and laugh. He gave up. He growled and turned around, trying to block it all out. It didn't help. Rynn's voice kept haunting him. Truth is, he _was_ jealous. But he never showed it so he didn't want her going around telling everyone. Then he heard Ryume's voice.

"Rynn, please, don't bother Hikuro. He's angry right now and he's not in the mood. You can argue with him later. Please?"

Hikuro looked back with his arms still crossed and met Ryume's eyes. His did a small two-second smile in a way of saying thanks and received a smile back. His insides went warm.

"Hey, Mori, can you fight?" Naruto asked.

"Well Shishou was going to teach me how to fight correctly but he had something to attend to. But I do know a few moves."

"Cool! How about we have a tournament?" Naruto announced and over half of the group agreed.

"Yes!" Lee said, "We should spar and learn from each other!" And he kicked the air.

"All right! I could use a few swings of my fist!" Risu said and grinned. Such a sweet grin on such a deadly weapon.

"I'm in!" TenTen said

"I call Rynn!" Kiba said.

"No way dog-boy!" Rynn said with her loud voice. Kiba also had a crush on Rynn. Unfortunately, she didn't return his feelings…

Kiba silenced himself and stood to the side.

Eventually when everyone was settled, they each wrote their names down on a sheet of paper and put them in a pile. Risu and Ryume drew a name from the pile and called out the first two people to verse each other.

The first fight was with Neji and Sakura. She didn't want to fight him so she dropped out. Shikamaru and Hinata were next. Neither of them wanted to fight. Then it was Risu against TenTen. Risu won outstandingly with her Taijutsu. Ryume promised her ramen. This got Rynn motivated and she kept peeking over Ryume's shoulder to see if she was next. Kiba and Chouji were up next. Kiba won with Akamaru against the raging Chouji after being called a fatty by Kiba. Not too smart of him. Next was a battle everyone was looking forward to. Naruto against Kinaga.

Risu stood to the side, not knowing who to root for. Then she shrugged and yelled, "Do you best you guys!"

"Who?" Naruto and Kinaga said at the same time, "Which one?"

Risu paused, "Uhh… Both!" She said and grinned.

Naruto and Kinaga both shrugged and fought. But in the middle of the battle, it got too intense so they stopped it. They called it a tie for the sake of not making a trip to the hospital.

"Can I get ramen anyway, Ryume-Chan?" Naruto asked, eyes sparkling. Ryume laughed and nodded a yes, making Naruto jump in the air with his fist in the air.

"Damn it! When am I gonna be next?!" Rynn complained.

"Right now!" Ryume said smiling.

"WHOO HOO! All right! Who'd ass wants to get kicked?" Rynn yelled, a big grin on her face.

"Umm…" Ryume looked at the piece of paper then at Mori. "Mori…? You wanna go?"

Mori, who was opening up more and more smiled and nodded, "Against Rynn-Chan, sure! She looks challenging."

"Yeah, yeah. We all know!" Rynn said confidently, waving her hand around.

Mori chuckled and readied himself to fight Rynn. Everyone watched and cheered them both on. But in the end, Rynn was the one who won. Mori collapsed on the ground and laughed, "Wow Rynn! You _are_ good!"

Hikuro suddenly just started to laugh, "No man! You just _suck!_" He made himself and everyone else laugh even harder.

"Wait a minute!" Rynn said, "Are you saying _I_ suck?! Oh it's on! You better get ready! I still have lots of energy in me!"

"Nahh, I wouldn't want to fight _you_. Don't want you to break a nail or something." Hikuro said, trying to hold in his laughter.

"What was that you smart-ass!?" Rynn threatened with a fist in the air.

"Wow thanks Rynn! Now I'm smart? That's so nice of you."

"You better watch it! Don't make me use Hikuro X Ryume threats on you!"

"Please don't." Ryume interrupted.

Rynn pointed at Hikuro, "Then tell your ex-boyfriend to cut it out!"

"I'm not her ex." Hikuro said. "We made up." And he hugged her, smiling big.

"If you've _made up_, why don't you _make out_ with her!" Rynn said then was on the floor laughing.

Itazura sighed, "Oh Rynn…"

Hikuro grinned and looked at Ryume. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off, "DON'T YOU THINK ABOUT IT HIKURO!" Ryume said loudly and tried to get out of his grasp. Rynn laughed harder.

"Aww okay… Later?" Hikuro asked desperately.

"No." Sasuke said and grabbed Ryume out of his arms, putting her into his. "She's mine for the day." Then he smirked.

"Who confirmed _that_ stupid rule?" Hikuro said, angry.

"I did." He replied casually.

Ryume blinked a couple times, realized she was Sasuke's arms in front of everyone, and blushed, eye wide.

"Hey!" Rynn called out, once she was able to breathe again without bursting out laughing again, "Both of you are wrong!"

Sasuke raised his eyebrow and Hikuro crosses his arms, "Oh yeah?"

"Yep! Ryume belongs to Mori for the day!" She said and pointed at Mori who flushed and looked away. Rynn laughed again as she looked back at Hikuro's face. His mouth was hanging open and was staring at Mori.

All Sasuke did was smirk and bring Ryume closer to him, "She's still mine."

"Phshh. Like hell she is!" Hikuro said.

Sasuke's smirked was buried in Ryume hair and her shade of red got darker. "Don't listen to them." He murmured to her.

Ryume's knees felt wobbly and she knew she was going to fall over any minute now. Sasuke was doing this is front of everybody! It was so embarrassing!

"Will you let go of her already?!" Hikuro snapped at Sasuke. "She's gonna explode from blushing!"

Rynn made a noise in her throat and burst out laughing again. Hikuro rolled her eyes and grabbed Ryume's wrist, "Come on Ryume, we still have two more fights."

Sasuke let go and watched them walk to the pile of paper. He smirked and followed. His fight was coming up next anyway.

Ryume took in a deep breath and took out two pieces of paper. "Itazura and Rock Lee… Whoa. This should be a good one."

Lee kicked the air and was already on the field, ready to fight. "Let's go Itazura! I challenge you!"

"No, actually he's being forced to fight you unless he doesn't want to…" Risu said then paused, "Wait did that even make any sense?"

"Not really. But we get it." Kinaga answered. Risu shrugged and agreed.

Itazura faced Lee and they fought. Everyone gaped as Itazura blocked all of Lee's attacks with the exception of letting some slip by him on accident. The fight continued on and Itazura didn't even use a single arrow. In the end, they also called that one a tie. But if it were a real fight, Itazura probably would've won.

Either way, everyone cheered them both on and congratulated both.

Ryume took opened up a folded piece of paper and found Ino's name. _Uh oh._ She thought to herself. Taking another random paper, she opened it up and flopped on the ground, obviously annoyed. Hikuro walked over to her and bent down, "Let me guess. You gotta verse Ino?"

Ryume nodded with her head still hanging. Hikuro rolled his eyes and looked at Ino. "Yo, Ino-Pig. You're up against Ryume."

Ino's mouth fell open and she glared at Ryume. She glared right back but not with so much attitude. Everyone groaned in protest and decided it was better to just call it all off. Ryume agreed but Ino disagreed. She wanted to rematch with Ryume.

Earlier, Ino had challenged Ryume to prove herself in front of a group of popular and prissy friends and of course lost. But they were interrupted by Kasaigaru before Ryume could fully defeat Ino. Ino never took it as a loss and wanted to try again. All Ryume did was roll her eyes and prepared herself for the verbal comments.

The fight went by smoothly with Ryume dodging and blocking Ino's attacks. She didn't bother to fight back. This got Ino even angrier and she charged more. Ryume sighed and finally made Ino fly a few feet away from her flat on her back. She stood over her.

"I win."

Ino growled and stood up. "Cheater! You didn't do anything the whole time! You're just a wimp always hiding behind your boyfriends!" And she went on and on about Ryume.

Ryume groaned and hit her head against a wooden pole. It hurt, but not as much as the lied Ino was throwing at everyone about her. _Just ignore it. Everyone knows it's not true. Yeah. It'll be all right._

"It'll be aight." Rynn said at the exact same time as Ryume thought 'It'll be alright'. That happened a lot. Connection somehow. No one knew how it worked, it just did.

"Yeah," Hikuro and Risu agreed, "She's just trying to get attention and mess with ya."

"I know." Ryume muttered, "But I'm tired of it."

"Me too." Hikuro said, then he was about to say something when once again Ryume interrupted him.

"NO YOU MAY NOT KILL HER." She said loudly but so Ino wouldn't hear. It'd cause problems if she did.

"Aww fine." Hikuro and said put his hands behind his head, relaxing.

Naruto, Rynn, and Risu did an anime slide up to Ryume. "Can we get some ramen now? Please?" They all begged. Ryume laughed and messed with all of their hair, "Of course."

Truth was, the last two people who haven't fought yet had been Sasuke and Hikuro and she didn't want to see them fight. She'd rather walk home right then and there.

The three-ramen winners 'whooped' out loud and dragged everyone to the ramen bar.

Even Mori was having a great time.


	5. Chapter 5 A Problem and Departion?

Dinner was great at both the ramen bar and the restaurant Ryume worked at. After taking the winner to ramen, Ryume thought desert would also be good. Everyone agreed and headed over to the outdoor part of the diner. Having a great time and laughing with smiles on their faces, no one was going to forget that day. Mori was accepted, everyone was getting along and it was both a beautiful day and evening. It was dark by the time everyone started to fan out until it was just Ryume, Hikuro, Sasuke, Mori, Risu, and Naruto.

"Thank you so much Ryume. I had such a great time." Mori said with the biggest smile on his face, his eyes sparkling.

Ryume smiled in return and tried to cover a yawn. Truth was she was tired from running around all day making sure everyone was satisfied and happy. But it was a second job for her and she was happy to do it for the good of her friends. Sasuke noticed the stifled yawn and pulled Ryume into her, making her lean on his shoulder letting her doze.

"Sleeping beauty's tired?" Hikuro asked, leaning on the table with his palm under his chin, smiling. Ryume smiled and got up, stretching.

"Yep. I'm ready to go to bed."

"I'll take you home." Hikuro said, already getting up and retrieving his oversized jacket.

Risu and Naruto got up also, said their farewells and left the restaurant. Ryume managed to glimpse Naruto take Risu's hand from a distance. _How cute._ She thought and smiled to herself.

Mori also excused himself and left with his guards back to his apartment.

Sasuke watched with careful eyes as Hikuro put his jacket on. He also wanted to know what had happened earlier today. That was the reason why Hikuro was in such a rush to leave.

Hikuro looked back at Sasuke and grinned at Ryume, "Hey Ryume, you're second boyfriend wants to know what happened earlier too."

Ryume froze and collapsed in a chair, head hanging. She groaned in protest, "Why can't you guys just lay it off and let it go?"

Sasuke got up and hugged her from behind, "Because I want to know every single thing that happens to you when I'm not there. I don't trust that thing."

Hikuro put on his triangle eyes, "And by 'thing', I'm guessing you mean me, right?"

"Who else?" Sasuke said and dug his face in Ryume's hair. Hikuro rolled his eyes and grabbed a chair also.

"All right Ryume, spill it. What happened? I came into the apartment and he had you against the damn wall and looked like he was going to eat you. What the hell?"

Once Sasuke heard this, he let go of Ryume and stood in front of her, eyes heavy and set. He lifted her head with the back of his thumb and stared into her eyes, "What?" Was all he asked. "You never told me about this. Why not?"

"I didn't want you to overreact…" Ryume mumbled and turned away. "He was looking at a picture and was going to move but at the same time I was getting up from my chair and he bumped into me, so he…"

"Took advantage of it and pinned you to the wall." Hikuro finished.

Ryume look up at him, past Sasuke, with sad ashamed eyes. "I didn't know he still had feelings for me. And they're serious this time."

"No duh." Hikuro scoffed.

"I'm sorry I didn't know." Ryume mumbled.

"And that's why you tell me these things. So I can take care of them." Sasuke said, making Ryume look at him again.

Ryume's eyes went slightly hard, "And then what? So you can fight him and teach him a lesson? You can't hurt someone just because you don't agree with them."

"I never said that." Sasuke said sternly through clenched teeth.

"Then how would you take care of it? Talk to him and threatened him not to do it again?"

"Is there any other way?" Hikuro interrupted.

"Stay out of this loser." Sasuke said to Hikuro without looking at him or even turning over his shoulder. His eyes never unlocked from Ryume's. Hikuro gritted his teeth. "How else do you want this to be solved?" Sasuke asked Ryume.

"You can just trust me in taking care of it. I can handle it."

Sasuke did a half laugh, half 'are you ridiculous?' kind of sound. "Yeah. Just like you can take care of yourself?"

Ryume gritted her teeth and stood up, facing Sasuke and glaring; "Now you're saying I need a babysitter?"

Sasuke came closer to her, glaring also, "I'm saying that you can't take care of it and need someone to do it."

"Oh. So now _you_ control my life?" Ryume said.

"It'd probably be better that way." Sasuke said.

"No one controls me. Not even you, Sasuke Uchiha." Ryume said and she felt the tears behind her eyes fill up.

Sasuke moved closer to her, pissed off, but Hikuro dragged Ryume towards him, away from the deadly Uchiha. "That's enough," He said, the responsible Hikuro showing, "She's tired and needs some sleep. And you had no right to get that stern with her and say untruthful things."

"Who said they were untruthful?" Sasuke said.

"I did." Hikuro snapped and put Ryume under his arm, walking her out of the restaurant and back to her house.

From a distance, Mori watched with his head down, ashamed at what he's done.

Once Hikuro opened the door to Ryume's house, she bolted in, ran to her room, and slammed the door. Hikuro sighed sadly and calmly knocked on her door.

"I don't need a babysitter!" Ryume yelled from inside.

Hikuro guessed she was in her bed, crying and reached over the door and found a spare key. He unlocked the door and guessed right. Ryume was sniffling under the covers. He sighed again and sat on the bed next to her. "I never said you needed one." He said calmly, pulling the covers off of Ryume.

She sat up and hugged her knees. "He acts as if I'm a little kid. But I'm not. How can I prove that to him?"

Hikuro shrugged, "Hey, I don't know. You're asking this to a guy who hates him. But I've got to say is that you really should sort this out."

"I thought maybe if I could just ignore it and be careful next time, it'd all be okay. I mean, if he did it again, I'd talk to him but still…" she trailed off and flopped down on her pillow, her eyes getting heavy.

Hikuro brushed off a strand of hair lying on her face and put the covers back over her. "Well go to sleep. You didn't need that argument. I'll get you something tasty for breakfast," he smiled and kissed Ryume's forehead. "Good night, " He said.

"Good night… And Hikuro?"

"Yes my Ryume-Chan?"

"…You can stay here tonight if you'd like."

"I was going to anyway."

Mori hesitated on knocking on Ryume's door. With his guards behind him waiting patiently for him, he tried deciding weather or not to knock on the door. He thought the best of it and just went ahead and knocked. He closed his eyes when he heard footsteps and the doorknob jingle. Hikuro appeared in the doorway with a doughnut in his hand. They both stared at each other for a minute until Hikuro blinked a couple times and brought himself back to reality.

"Sup?" He said.

"Uhh, what are you doing here?" Mori asked in the most polite tone he can muster.

"I stayed over at Ryume's. She needed someone to be with her."

"Her guardian?"

"Kasaigaru; he's been gone on a mission and hasn't been home. Hell, he's _never_ home. What are you doing here?"

"I need to speak with Ryume."

"Right," Hikuro said but opened the door to Mori anyway. He motioned to his guards to stay outside and closed the door behind him. "She's not awake yet so you're just gonna have to chill. Hot chocolate?" He asked, holding out a mug to Mori.

Mori refused the offer and waited patiently for Ryume. He looked back at the photo of her Ryume and Sasuke. The picture he was looking at before he got Ryume. Before he caused a big problem for her. And it was all his stupid fault. He looked away from the picture and watched Hikuro make another mug of hot chocolate for Ryume.

Ryume smelled the scent of chocolate and got up. She walked into the kitchen and stopped once she saw Mori, "Hey Mori. Good morning. Sorry I just woke up." She did an anime sweat drop.

"Don't worry about it." Mori said. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"Umm, okay." She turned her attention to her mug, "Hot chocolate? I could use some right now. I'm freezing."

"Yeah, It is pretty cold in here. No wonder you have so many blankets stocked in your closet." Hikuro said and handed her her mug, which she drank happily. Then she eyed the doughnuts. "You brought junk food?"

Hikuro grinned, Ryume's favorite fang showing, "Yep. Since you never have junk food, and it puts everyone in a good mood, I thought you'd need it."

_So she _is_ in a bad situation…_ Mori thought.

"Aww thanks Hikuro!" Ryume said and smiled.

_Then how can she keep smiling like that?_

"So, Mori, what did you want to talk to me about?" Ryume asked, nibbling on a doughnut.

Mori paused and looked out her window for a moment. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm about to leave."

"You're leaving?" Hikuro asked, a bit surprised, but also a bit relieved. He didn't show it though.

"Yes." Mori said. "I just have some business to attend to. My master should be back soon and I want to get started on my training. And I don't want to cause anymore problems here…"

"Problems?" Ryume asked.

Hikuro did a short laugh, "So I guess Sasuke was right. You _were_ listening last night."

"What?" Ryume almost choked on her doughnut.

Mori hung his head in a bowing gesture, "I'm terribly sorry but I was curious and had to know what I had done wrong. I now know what I should do." He raised his head and looked at Ryume, a smile trying to creep on his face unsuccessfully, "I need to just stop living my fantasy of liking you and continue on with my life."

Ryume was frozen in shock. First he had heard what happened last night, and then he decided to leave. Was this the best thing? "It's a shame you're leaving." She finally said.

"Not exactly. It'd be a bit quieter without me here. More peace…"

"Hey, come on man," Hikuro said, "Sasuke was just pissed that you were picking on our little Ryume. Overprotective stuff. You don't have to leave because of that."

But I don't want this to continue on. If I leave the sooner, the better." Mori said, making up his mind. He got up and walked to the door.

"I'll take you there." Ryume said.

Mori looked back at Ryume and his eyes grew sad for a moment. He didn't say anything and walked out the door into the cold.


	6. Chapter 6 Farewell

"I can't believe he's leaving…" Ryume muttered, sitting on her couch. Hikuro was eating his third doughnut with a big glass of milk, watching Ryume with his eyebrow raised.

"Shouldn't you be…well, happy about this? I mean, now he won't be as attached to you and might even get over you-no offense."

"None taken…" Ryume muttered again.

Hikuro nodded silently, not believing her fully. But he was pretty much used to it so he let it go. "You know I'm going to have to come with you though, right?"

"What? Why?" Ryume asked, looking up.

"Well for one thing, he's my friend too, you know? And the other thing Is well…" He laughed nervously, "Well because you never know if he might try something again. I'm just being careful!" He put his palms up, his voice muffled by what was left of the doughnut, "Don't blame me!"

Ryume smiled at his expression and shook her head, still chuckling silently to herself. You can always count on Hikuro to cheer you up. But he did have a point. It'd probably be the best thing for him to come along too. Besides, she wouldn't be allowed to walk back to the village by herself. "Yeah, it'll be good if you came."

Hikuro nodded nervously and bit his lip.

"Uh oh." Ryume said and stood up, "What else do you know and I don't? That's not good. It's _never_ good!"

Hikuro nodded nervously again, still biting his lip. "Well…" He coughed slightly and scratched the back of his head, "Well we kind of went over to his place and overheard him talk to his guards about leaving."

"_We?_" Ryume exploded, almost at her limit, "You _went to his house_? And listened to his conversation?"

"He listened to ours!" Hikuro argued.

Ryume sighed, "Fine, whatever. But who else went with…" She stopped and put a hand to her head, "Omigod. Please don't tell me you and Sasuke went to his house last night."

"I'm sorry."

"That won't cover it."

"Then what will? I have doughnuts…"

Ryume rolled her eyes, "That won't cover it either."

Hikuro sighed, "Fine. I'll be a good boy and follow every single thing you say today."

Ryume wasn't impressed.

"Tomorrow too?" Hikuro gaped. His reply was the crossing of arms. "The day after that?" Ryume walked to the sink and got a drink of water. "Four days? God damnit Ryume! How long?"

"I don't know. Long enough. It was just so disrespectful for you to do that."

"No it was disrespectful for Mori to…" Hikuro let out a growl and shook his head. "You know what? Never mind. Forget it. I'll do it your way." He walked to the door and put his hand on the knob, "I'll meet you at the gates." And he left.

Ryume waited with Hikuro and Sasuke at the gates with another awkward silence hanging among them. She sighed and hung her head. _Great. Can this get any worse? It was just yesterday when we were having so much fun. Now look at us! It's a mess! _She half whimpered half groaned and did some anime tears. "This is a mess." She said pathetically.

Hikuro didn't say anything, his quiet side showing. You never knew what he was thinking. Sasuke just did a mental sigh, "It's better this way. If he leaves then everything will quiet down again."

"He said the same thing this morning." Hikuro said. Strange how two rivals who hate each other can get along at the most random time.

"Hn. Figures."

Ryume's triangle eyes went still then she looked up and saw Mori and his guards nearing them. He had his head down and his bag on his back. Ryume got up and faced Mori. "Ready to go?" Hikuro asked.

"Yes. Thank you." Mori said with no expression on his face.

Ryume glanced worriedly at him then looked away. She felt guilty and kept thinking that this was all her fault. Was there anything she can do?

The four of them and the extra guards walked down the path out of the leaf village and towards Mori's home. Ryume had to do something. Anything.

She thought of a funny moment when Hikuro and Mori went out for ice cream with her two days ago. Hikuro was eating an ice cream while talking to them and suddenly a kid running dropped his ice cream on him, making him jump up in shock from the ice cold feeling. "Hey remember the time when that kid dropped ice cream all over Hikuro?" Ryume said randomly.

Sasuke raised his eyebrow and looked at Ryume. He wasn't there when it had happened but Ryume could tell that he was amused at just hearing it.

Hikuro laughed and put a hand to his head, "Oh yeah! I remember that! That was hilarious!"

Ryume smiled, "Yeah then you started to do your little crazy dance, all freaked out about the ice cream on your pants."

A small smile touched Mori's face and Ryume caught it. She moved closer to him and grinned, waving a finger in front of him. "A-ha! I see that smile Mori-Kun! Come on. Smile! You know it was funny."

Mori looked at Ryume, a bit shocked at the sudden change in atmosphere but then smiled. "Yeah, I remember. We couldn't stop laughing."

"There we go!" Ryume said and ruffled his hair. This made him flush a bit and smile again, a soft laugh escaping his lips.

And there it was. A sudden change of mood in an instant. By the time they all got to the temple, everyone had laughed at least once and had all forgotten about they're worries.

Mori stopped in front of the open doors. Apparently, they'd been expecting him. He looked down at Ryume and smiled sweetly. Hikuro and Sasuke turned and walked a few feet away, waiting for Ryume to be done with her farewell.

"I wish you luck in your training, Mori." Ryume said, her face soft.

"Thank you." He replied and stared at Ryume calmly. "I had a great time. Thank you. You should visit sometime."

A cough came from behind Ryume.

"Well I'd better go." Ryume said and motioned over her shoulder, "guys are getting impatient."

"Um," Mori hesitated and looked away, blushing red, "There's one more thing before you leave…"

"Huh?" Ryume tilted her head in confusion

Then, out of nowhere, Mori hugged Ryume and planted his lips onto hers.

Ryume's eyes went wide and she turned beet red. Hikuro's mouth was to the ground, his eyes coming out of his head, and it looked like he was about to attack Mori. Maybe worse. Sasuke however showed disgust and looked away. He'll deal with Ryume later.

Mori separated from Ryume by just a few inches and whispered in her ear, smiling huskily, "I hope you don't mind. I couldn't help myself."

Ryume just nodded, still dazed and face still red as a tomato. Mori smirked and kissed her hand. "I shall see you sometime in the future, Ryume Kazemizu. Farwell." He turned on his heel, and walked to his temple, the doors closing behind him.

Ryume stayed where she was, the soft wind brushing her hair into a soft wave of brown. Sasuke was the first to calm down and was gazing at Ryume. Meanwhile, Hikuro had anime cramps cluttered on his head and look like he was about to garb the nearest thing that came to him and choke it to death. Smiling, Ryume turned to face her two best friends and walked towards them, making their way to the village.

"You owe me, Ryume-Cupcake." Hikuro said.

A big anime cramp appeared on Ryume's head and she turned to Sasuke, expecting something to come out of him too.

Sasuke looked at Ryume and smirked, "Babe."


End file.
